January 19th, 2020
ERICA FUCHS
We hope 2020 has been off to a great start for you! Read on to learn about some plant-powered opportunities you can participate in to kick off the new decade.
TRY VEGAN FOR TU B’SHEVAT WITH SHAMAYIM AND CHALLENGE 22!
“Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit — to you it shall be for food.” – Gen. 1:29
Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish holiday celebrating the New Year of the trees, is just around the corner! This environmentally-focused celebration is the perfect time to start your plant-based journey or to inspire someone in your life to start theirs.
It’s been said that Tu B’Shevat is the most vegan of the Jewish holidays, because of the many connections to plant-based themes and concepts.
With the current state of the climate, it’s becoming more important for everyone to make changes on an individual and collective level to help the planet and reduce emissions. You can do your part by choosing to eat plant-based, the diet with the lowest carbon footprint.
For these reasons, we’re delighted to announce that we’ve partnered with Challenge 22, an internationally known Israeli-based vegan organization, to help those in the Jewish community go vegan around the time of Tu B’Shevat!
By signing up, support, education, and access to mentors and nutritionists will be provided to you on your 22-day vegan challenge.
If you’re already vegan, please share this opportunity with a friend who’s interested in fighting climate change with diet change.
Sign up or share with a friend!
VEGANUARY 2020: JEWISH FOOD INNOVATION FOR THE PLANT-BASED DECADE!
New Year, new decade. In the spirit of new resolutions, you’re invited to attend Veganuary 2020: Jewish Food Innovation for the Plant-Based Decade! Come enjoy the delicious flavors of DC vegan restaurants, or join online live and hear from leading food innovators and entrepreneurs. Space is limited so register today!
Veganuary is a global movement where people go vegan in January and beyond for their health, the animals, and the environment. This event highlights Jewish food innovation in the plant-based revolution that is set to define this decade.
If you’re able to attend in person, you will enjoy delicious plant-based food from our panelists: Soupergirl, Shouk, Sticky Fingers, and PLNT Burger.
You will also get to hear from inspiring plant-powered food bloggers about their tips and recipe secrets how to enjoy delicious flavors of plant-based food.
To be there in person, get your ticket here. To join online live, register here.
JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL RETREAT, JUST THREE WEEKS AWAY!
Our retreat is the one time a year to come together as a growing community of Jewish animal advocates and allies. We hope to see you in the foothills of Simi Valley, California, this February for a weekend full of delicious, kosher plant-based meals and educational sessions led by leaders from different corners of the Jewish and animal advocacy worlds!
Below are just a few examples of the sessions led by our incredible speakers. Read our full speaker lineup & session descriptions here!
PLANT-BASED TORAH, WEEKLY D’VARS
Follow along with our Plant-Based Torah series, weekly D’var Torahs all about the connection between Torah and animal welfare, and the compatibility of plant-based living with Judaism and its central religious texts! We hope these weekly writings inspire you to live in alignment with the Jewish value that is Tza’ar Ba’alei Chayim, not causing harm to animals.
This week’s Plant-Based Torah:
“Ultimately, our Torah instills a hope within the Jewish people and the world – that oppression can be overcome by righteousness and truth, despite the odds, even when led by scrappy, flawed individuals.”
Read all weekly D’var Torahs here
Prefer to listen instead of read? Follow along with weekly episodes through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE JEWISH VEGAN WORLD
- Check out this article by Shamayim’s founder & CEO Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz & Jacob Ari Labenz – Jewish Veganism is Worthy of Study
- Have you heard of the new Jewish Vegan Deli in Chicago? Sam & Gertie’s, ‘World’s First’ Vegan Jewish Deli, Debuts With Meatless Chopped Liver
SYNAGOGUE VEGAN CHALLENGE SPOTLIGHT
As a part of our Synagogue Vegan Challenge, Congregation Bonai Shalom served plant-based snacks alongside a book club discussion of, “We are the Weather” by Jonathan Safran Foer, in partnership with Boulder JCC.
The book was used as a basis for a discussion focused on reducing reliance on animal agriculture and moving towards plant-based diets. They followed a great guide provided by Hazon that went through the main points in the book complemented with Jewish texts & various questions about environmentalism and consumption habits. They discussed how hopeful and powerful it is to know that each person can truly make a difference through food choices, and it makes an even more significant impact when done as a community effort (like through our Synagogue Vegan Challenge)!
Read more event updates from our Synagogue Vegan Challenge participants here.
RABBI REFLECTION CIRCLE
Our Rabbi Reflection Circle is a program for vegetarian and vegan rabbis to meet, learn from each other, and explore ways to bring conversations about ethical eating to their communities.
We held our first call in November with twenty rabbis participating. We’re excited about all of the interest in this program and look forward to more lessons and networking with rabbis in the future. The next call will be held on March 5, 2020 at 9AM Pacific/Noon Eastern.
Share this program with a vegetarian or vegan Rabbi you know!
Shamayim: Jewish Animal Advocacy 
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